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The differences between product support engineers and quality engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a product support engineer, becoming a quality engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a product support engineer has an average salary of $90,379, which is higher than the $79,672 average annual salary of a quality engineer.
The top three skills for a product support engineer include product support, technical support and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a quality engineer are corrective action, continuous improvement, and ISO.
| Product Support Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $90,379 | $79,672 |
| Hourly rate | $43.45 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 201,554 | 96,838 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A product support engineer is responsible for resolving technical issues of end-users regarding the products and services offered by the company. Product support engineers conduct troubleshooting operations for system failures and write resolution reports for reference. They also support the product analysts in improving the product's features and processes to prevent the reoccurrence of defects and maintain optimal performance. A product support engineer designs automation procedures and runs multiple diagnostic tests to ensure high-quality outputs and avoid operational delays.
A quality engineer's responsibilities include ensuring that the manufacturing processes are efficient and accurate, documenting findings that would raise concerns, conducting quality tests while observing parameters, and implementing changes as necessary to meet the highest quality standards. Quality engineers need to have excellent problem-solving and observation skills to detect any irregularities and possible malfunctions. They also must be able to communicate effectively with the clients for feedbacks and corrective adjustments, address complaints, and immediately resolve any inconsistencies made.
Product support engineers and quality engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Support Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Average salary | $90,379 | $79,672 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $121,000 | Between $61,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a product support engineer and a quality engineer in terms of educational background:
| Product Support Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between product support engineers' and quality engineers' demographics:
| Product Support Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.7% Female, 19.3% | Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 13.0% White, 69.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 13.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 4% |